Safe Communities Blog

I want to live in a community where a two year old boy can run through the woods at a park and not have to worry about being stuck by used needles. I want to live in a community where families are not afraid to take their children to a park after dark because they feel it’s not safe. I want to live in a community where park benches and tables aren’t littered with graffiti and there is no reason to worry about what kids are being exposed to in the middle of the afternoon.

Unfortunately our community is not where I would like it to be YET and I don’t want to be an alarmist because I do believe we live in an amazing community for the most part. There are still parts of our community where people are not able to let their sons and daughters run through the woods for fear of being stuck by a used syringe, not feeling safe in their neighborhood park after dark, and where park benches and tables are littered with graffiti. These concerns were all shared by actual community members at Bagley Park.

There was an incident that happened at Bagley Park during the summer that caught the attention of some Janus Youth outreach workers and some Boys & Girls Club staff members. I was contacted by the Janus Youth Outreach supervisor and also by the Boys & Girls Club Outreach Program manager within days of each other, informing me of the incident. They wanted to do something about it, so we brought it to the Safe Communities Task Force steering committee as well as to our monthly community meeting and requested assistance. There were many people willing to help and we mobilized our community and on Tuesday August 28th we put on a free community BBQ at Bagley Park.​

​We set up some tents and tables and provided free hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, cookies, soda, and water for anyone who was there at the park. We also had some donated school supplies and gave them out to any kids who needed them. There were also donated books, games, crafts, and bubbles! What’s a community BBQ without bubbles? Oh, and most of us were wearing this shirt!

​At one point during the BBQ, there was a group of teens off in the distance and about four of us grabbed some hamburgers, hot dogs, sodas, and water and went over and gave them out. The teens were very appreciative and ended coming over to where we were several times for more food and water before the BBQ was over. ​There were lots of smiling faces, school supplies given out, crafts made, bubbles blown, and most importantly perceptions changed!

​I’d like to thank all of the Boys & Girls Club staff and SCTF Steering Committee members who helped out, the neighborhood association members who attended, community members who donated money, school supplies and crafts. Your participation is much appreciated!

At our last SCTF monthly community meeting we were discussing ways we could build a stronger community and decided this BBQ would be a start of something bigger. I also challenged everyone at the meeting to share one thing they could do in their own neighborhood to start building a stronger healthier community. Those of you who were at the last meeting leave a comment on this post on what you did and for those of you who weren’t at the last meeting, leave a comment on something you are committed to do in your neighborhood. Also, please join us this Friday from 10-12 at the YWCA to continue the discussion on how we can continue building our community.

The general response from people when we invited them to come and have a free hamburger or hot dog was one of confusion…most people asked, “Who are you guys and why are you doing this?”​Our response was, “We are with the Boys & Girls Club and the Safe Communities Task Force and we are doing this because we care!”

You’re more likely to engage in your community if your community empowers you to pursue your calling or purpose in life. ​

Hi there,

Welcome back to the SCTF blog where we share resources, stories, lessons and updates supporting our goal of building community.

When looking at building community, researchers often measure community attachment. Attachment is feeling like you belong, you’re doing the work you’re meant to and are actively contributing to the world around you. You’re invested in what’s going on and feel positively about your circumstances.

The Safe Communities Task Force recognizes many populations in our community do not feel such attachment including minorities, the disenfranchised as well as many of the young people we serve.

Sometimes these individuals (or any of us really) can feel stuck, overwhelmed or frustrated as though the pieces just aren’t fitting together as they’re meant to. The goal of this blog post is to support you in this feeling and get you into a place where you feel more attached to your community. You’re more likely to engage in your community if it empowers you to pursue your calling or purpose in life.

My colleague Josh Beaman spoke to me about the Eulerian Destiny; a process by which a person fills in the blanks that guide them toward their calling or purpose in life. The SCTF uses this tool when mentoring youth through their career choices and I want to share it with you today.

“Eulerian” is a word describing the shapes that make up the chart above with overlapping ovals. Each oval has space for you to fill in the blank and is labeled with prompt categories. I made this version of the handout for you to print off and share!Print the handout, find some alone time or quiet space to think. Some can complete this in twenty minutes while others may require more time for sorting their thoughts.

​UpbringingYou’ll start at the top left with “upbringing.” Here you fill in the space with words or experiences describing what you grew up around. Reflect on your early life experiences, environment, community, home life and more that may impact or influence what makes you you. ​Consider the following:

Childhood memories

Environment: region, neighborhood style, housing

Quotes, phrases, words to live by

Lessons learned from watching the people you grew up with

Things you dreamed of doing before society pulled the plug on your imagination

ExperienceAlso commonly referred to as “the last 10 years,” consider what you’ve been up to lately. What have your recent experiences been leading you towards? Acknowledge you’ve been doing something meaningful regardless of your role and reflect on how you can leverage this to discern your future. You don’t have to use job titles or labels but instead think of the skill, category or talent underlying the job or role itself.

Consider the following:

Underlying themes of your work

What drives your current experiences?

What skills have you picked up along the way?

What are recurring motifs or challenges you continually face/overcome?

Job titles or work fields you’ve found yourself in

What causes do you volunteer for and what does that say about you?

Types of roles you most enjoy

Work style, environment, schedule or more you most enjoy

Duties you repeatedly find yourself doing regardless of role

Stranger FeedbackOn the handout I wrote “feedback” but really it encourages stranger feedback. Here you will write how a stranger would describe you. Sometimes people we love most are biased thus we ask people who have little attachment to us for this information. You should document both positive and negative descriptors, true for all quadrants.

Words people use to describe your personality, style, drive, energy, motivation or more

EnthusiasmNotice what you’re most enthusiastic about in life. Write the things that bring you immense joy, fill you up and you could go on talking for hours about.

​For this section, consider:

Your eyes light up when someone asks you about this topic

Time flies when you’re talking about this

Your heart is filled and life feels wonderful when you’re doing this

This makes you forget your worries and lets you be in the moment

People come to you for help with this (caveat: and you enjoy being their go-to)

This is something you’ve studied, learned, participated in, an experience, talent or more

If you have trouble filling out any sections of the handout please be patient with yourself, dig deep and try your best.

After you’ve completed all four quadrants, now fill in the four smaller ovals which overlap between the four categories. Where do you see commonalities between two overlapping categories? How do you see your responses coming together? Record these ideas, bringing you closer to discovering your Eulerian Destiny.

Discerning Your CallI use the word call because destiny feels both overwhelming and a tad cheesy. Regardless, it’s time to synthesize all you’ve filled out into your final statement. Your Eulerian Destiny should boil down to 10 words or less describing your purpose in life. These words should clearly articulate the role you play in the world and what you are meant to be doing. This destiny should not be a job title but instead something you can incorporate into any job. For example, if your Eulerian Destiny is “helping people understand their purpose in life,” you can do this at home, at the mall, in the park, as a Barista, at McDonalds, as a business executive, policymaker or more. It should be an overarching theme that is flexible yet specific.

Afterwards, use this to guide you in your choices. If you’re in a position that currently doesn’t support your Eulerian Destiny, perhaps you can find spaces outside of work to fulfill your destiny. Consider finding aspects you can control about your work or environment and take small steps closer to your call. If there is absolutely nothing you can control, reframe your thinking through the lens of your destiny and start building practices into your daily routine that get you closer to it. If you can’t find ways to do any of this, perhaps it’s time to switch gears and find a new job altogether!

The SCTF believes if a person is familiar with their true calling and their community is able to empower that call, they are more likely to feel attached to their community.

This tool can be meaningful and personal if you let it. When I discerned my call with this tool I felt inspired and excited:

“Cultivating light and empowering people to rise.”​ It doesn’t need to be specific nor does it need to be a poem. Mine is one sentence that can be incorporated into all I do. It explains my passion, approach, drive and goals.

Your Eulerian Destiny isn’t written in stone. It will likely change, adapt and grow as you do. You may later find words that more fully and authentically capture your purpose and all these quadrants (except for upbringing) are subject to change at any given moment, which is kind of an exciting thought!

I am not the first to write about Eulerian Destiny. Nothing in this post is groundbreaking. Below are a few other thoughtful posts about Eulerian Destiny if you’d like to hear it from someone other than me! Additionally, I’d like to thank Josh Beaman for coaching on this topic. He’s the real pro.

If you read the headline I’m sure you’ll guess it’s that time again! Summer is here and if you’re in Vancouver or the surrounding area perhaps you got a healthy dose of it this last weekend!

A goal of this blog is supporting people who support youth. One thing we’ve learned along the way is as youth have less things to do and more free time the more likely they are to get pushed or pulled into unhealthy activities or behavior. Our job as supportive adults is to boost them up and keep them engaged while also helping them do what brings them the most joy.

Last year, I can’t believe it’s already been a year, I offered ten things to do over summer break for youth. I double checked and almost all these activities are still relevant! Feel free to refer to this first list.

Today’s post will build upon it as a starting point for planning out some summer adventure.

To spice things up a bit, the theme of this post is identity. Recently the Clark County Youth House hosted an art show about identity and the pieces really spoke to me. I thought I’d keep the momentum going with relating all the activities in this post to the theme.​Without further ado:

Summer camp

I never got to attend summer camp as a kid and I always wanted to!

​My recommendation for your youth is to first and foremost have fun at camp but afterwards reflect on what they learned about themselves during the process. Ask them to consider: What did you do that you didn’t think you could? What moments brought you a sense of wonder? What parts of yourself did you hide and what parts of your identity were new to you?

Creature Features from first blog post are still happening! Learn more and find other community teen events happening at the library, including a HARRY POTTER WEEKEND: http://www.fvrl.org/teens​How can animals help us discover our identity? Think about what animals they’re most drawn to and what this says about who they are. If they were an animal, which would they be and where would they be found? What type of home would they build and what other animals would they interact with, if any?

Getting certified with a food handlers card can make people more hirable. Summer jobs seem daunting but are a great way to be financially independent and grow as a person. I’m not suggesting all young people by default work in food/customer service; however it’s a viable option I myself participated in for many years.

As they do this, ask them to consider what businesses call to them most. Which brand matches their personal brand? What parts of their identity can be expanded on or explored by the organization they have in mind?​Visit Partners in Careers for more career exploration opportunities.

Complete a community challenge

Complete a community challenge and ask them how it changed them as an individual, as a community member, and as a person watching their identity unfold before their eyes every day.

Refer to my blog challenge pages for a complete list. Yes, I did just shamelessly plug my own writing. These challenges are the most viewed, requested and shared on our website so I couldn’t help myself!

​More importantly though, feeling valued, visible and attached to your community are all aspects of the 40 Developmental Assets, which basically are a bunch of factors that boost your ability to grow, be happy and resilient.

In conversations with their peers, young people bring up the topic of identity on a regular basis. Whether it’s discovering more about who they are, dreaming about who they want to be one day, disclosing difficult parts of their identity or things that bring them challenges, it’s a universal theme I feel is fitting to spend intentional time working on over summer break.

Feel free to share any number of the resources in this post with youth in your lives. This list is just a starting point. Tell me in the comments section what I missed!